Beilue: Political pettiness reaches its finest

Nowak

Jon Mark Beilue

Amarillo attorney Vince Nowak thought it might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He was invited to a luncheon of the Amarillo Republican Women in mid-October when an appeal went out that the GOP was seeking volunteers to be a roving attorney in several key swing states that could determine the election.

“It was kind of like being part of history,” Nowak said. “It really sounded exciting.”

Neither the Republicans nor Democrats were leaving no stone unturned last Tuesday. Both parties were going to have legal representatives on the ground at sites that were crucial.

So the call went out that day at Amarillo Country Club for any attorneys to volunteer at precincts in Colorado or Wisconsin. Nowak, 45, volunteered to work in Wisconsin, figuring he could go to Colorado almost any time.

He said he was approved the next day by the Romney for President Inc. group in Boston and the Republican Party of Texas in Austin to work seven precincts in La Crosse, Wis. He took 1½ hours of training over the phone and a three-hour online crash course.

He didn’t mind having to pay for air fare himself to Minneapolis-St. Paul. The GOP would cover ground transportation to La Crosse and two nights in a hotel.

No heavy lifting was required. He was to keep a low profile. Observers were to report to him if they received complaints or saw voting irregularities. Nowak was then to fill out a one-page report to the local campaign chief. Pretty simple.

About a week before the election, Nowak mentioned his election day duties to one of our editors. He, in turn, thought it might be an offbeat Election Day story — Amarillo attorney working in Wisconsin swing state — and told me about it.

I called Nowak, who never pitched the story. He and I agreed to talk the next day. Then Nowak made an egregious error. He e-mailed Boston and Austin.

“I told Romney for President group this is what I’ve been asked to do. I asked what the talking points might be because I wanted to be a team player,” Nowak said. “It was literally a minute after hitting ‘send’ that I got a call from Boston.”

They weren’t happy. The world was not supposed to know a political party might have volunteer attorneys in crucial parts of the country. How would they ever explain that?

“They said that we’re upset you’re talking to the media, that this is not what we wanted,” he said. “Basically, all I ever said was ‘I’m going to Wisconsin and this is kind of cool.’ I didn’t give away any party secrets because I don’t know any.

“I asked if I was still welcome. I wanted to come help because I believed in Romney’s views more than Obama’s. They said we’re very upset, and, no, you’re not welcome.”

Good night. Really? Are we that petty and paranoid to do something that juvenile? Well, apparently so.

First, there was no pinkie swear ceremony where Nowak and others stood above a flaming lamp and vowed secrecy, especially to the — God forbid — mainstream media. Second, Nowak was essentially asking for permission to speak to one of the muckrakers. Third, the highbrows in Boston could have said we’d rather you not and leave it at that.

Fourth, Nowak was going to bring his assistant, Jayce Tabor, to Wisconsin for the experience and was out $2,600 for nonrefundable plane tickets. Fifth, what could he possibly tell me that would rankle the GOP? It was a volunteer attorney working in Wisconsin, not a covert operation of Seal Team Six.

Nowak got a call as well from the state’s Republican party, which he said was apologetic, but also said nothing could be done.

A message to Eric Opielka of the Republican Party in Texas was not returned. A phone call to Rachel Wilson of the general counsel’s office on Romney for President Inc. went unanswered.

“I give money every time the Republican Party calls, and they take my money, but they’re upset because I was thinking of talking to the media,” Nowak said. “I don’t know if this was supposed to be a secret, but if it was, why was it on the crawl of one of the networks on Election Day?”

Nowak switched to the Republican Party while at the University of Buffalo in blue-state New York because it more aligned with his fiscal beliefs. But he’s apparently one of these idealistic souls who believes in transparency in government.

“There are a lot of people — Democrats and Republicans — that want to get out and do what’s right for the country but sometimes are constrained by our parties,” he said. “When my party tells me, ‘Oh by the way, this was supposed to be a secret,’ it doesn’t sit well with me.

“Sunshine is the best disinfectant. If there’s not transparency, you don’t have much.”

What you do have is a little example of political pettiness. Is this a great country or what?

Jon Mark Beilue is a Globe-News columnist. He can be reached at jon.beilue@amarillo.com or 806-345-3318. His blog appears on amarillo.com. Twitter: @jonmarkbeilue.